STATEN ISLAND, N.Y./HANOVER, N.H. – A personal best toss in the weight throw by junior Jack Pihlkar, along with wins by sophomore Tiber Seireeni (pole vault), senior Daniel Igbokwe (triple jump), first-year Alexis Knight (400-Meter Dash), junior Terri Turner (500-Meter Dash) and senior Maryam Hassan (triple jump) powered Columbia Track & Field to a solid day indoors at the Columbia-Yale-Dartmouth tri-meet on Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Leverone Field House.
 
While on Friday, Jan. 17, the Lions competed in the Gotham Cup at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, with sophomores Dante Miller taking a fifth in the 60-Meter Dash and sophomore Logan Rubasch clearing a seventh-place mark in the pole vault to lead Columbia on Staten Island, New York.
 
For Pihlkar, the mark of 61-10.25/18.85m was not only a PR, it is the best performance in the Ivy League so far in the 2019-20 indoor season and the 54th best mark in the country.  His toss, which seemed to be stopped only by the back wall, was 1.9 meters further then the second-place mark of 16.95m in a strong showing by the Lion junior.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (MEN'S EVENTS): Pihlkar was not the only Lion to have a strong showing on the day, with Igbokwe picking up where he left off last season, jumping 45-2.25/13.77m to take the crown in the triple jump.  In the pole vault, Seireeni took first clearing a height of 14-11.00/4.55m, on his first attempt, to take the title as Columbia first-year Will O'Brien finished second, clearing the same height as Seireeni, but needing a second try to Seireeni's one. 
 
In the high jump, Columbia first-year Nate Gramentine jumped 6-3.25/1.91m to finish second, while sophomore Luke Ciarelli was right behind him with the same distance, but while Gramentine set his mark on his first try, Ciarelli needed all three attempts to set his mark. 
 
On the track, the Lions had strong showings in several races but they were highlighted by a first place finish by the 4x800-Meter Relay (A) squad consisting of first-year Nixon McKenzie, juniors Aaron Breene, Owen Bishop and Jackson Storey, who clocked a time of 7:48.35 to take the title in the 4x800.  Storey also had a strong race in the 1,000-Meter Run, finishing second with a time 2:28.44, while Breene was right behind him finishing third with a PR time of 2:29.37.
 
The 200-Meter Dash saw first-year Jahi Hernandez run a strong race, finishing third with a time of 22.23, while in the 60-Meter Hurdles, first-year Moe Abusway raced his way to a second-place finish with a time of 8.46.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (WOMEN'S EVENTS): While the men have several top finishes, the women were strong from start to finish, collecting four first-place finishes and 11 top three finishes on both the track and the field.  Besides the three wins in individual events, the 4x400-Meter Relay (A) squad took first place as the squad of junior Carlita Taylor, senior Iman Sule, Knight and Turner clocked a time of 3:49.33.
 
In the 400m, Knight's time of 57.79 gave her a first-place finish, finishing 1.26 seconds ahead of Yale's Emma Osborne who finished second in the race.  Turner's winning time of 1:15.19 in the 500m was just as strong a showing as Knight's was in the 400m, with Turner crossing the line 2.13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Samantha Friborg from Yale.
 
On the field Hassan set a mark of 39-8.00/12.09m in the triple jump to take the title in that event, while first-year Tiffany Bautista showed off her athletic ability to perform at a high level in several events, finishing second in the long jump with a mark of 17-8.25/5.39m and fifth in the high jump, clearing 5-3.00/1.60m.  A PR toss of 42-8.25/13.01 in the weight throw, by sophomore Hailey Montgomery gave her a fifth place finish, while first-year Anna Jordahl-Henry (5-5.00/1.65m) finished third in the high jump and sophomore Kali Hatcher jumped 17-1.50/5.22m to finish fourth in the long jump to round a strong performance by the Lions on the field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (GOTHAM CUP): On Friday, Jan. 17, Columbia sent a handful of student-athletes to compete at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, and the Lions' performances were highlighted by Millers' 6.96 time in the 60m to finish fifth.  While in the field, Rubasch cleared a mark of 13-9.25/4.20m in the pole vault to give the Lions their best finish in field events, with Rubash finishing seventh.
 
DARTMOUTH-YALE-COLUMBIA (JAN. 18)
Hanover, N.H. (Leverone Field House)
 
Men's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash (Final): (1. Phil Zuccaro, Yale, 6.87) 6. Jahi Hernandez, 6.99
60m (Prelims): (1. Trenton Charles, Yale, 6.89) 5. Hernandez, 6.96; 9. Chris Balthazar, 7.04; 14. Brodie Holmes, 7.21
200-Meter Dash: (1. Zuccaro, 21.90) 3. Hernandez, 22.23; 5. Holmes, 22.48; 7. Balthazar, 22.81
400-Meter Dash: (1. Juma Sei, Yale, 48.71) 5. Gio Trejos, 53.17
800-Meter Run: (1. Tim Zepf, 1:51.06) 4. Nixon McKenzie, 1:53.96; 6. Jacob Caswell, 2:03.13
1,000-Meter Run: (1. Nick Dahl, Yale, 2:28.37) 2. Jackson Storey, 2:28.44; 3. Aaron Breene, 2:29.37; 13. Juan, Zarate-Sanchez, 2:38.08
One-Mile Run: (1. Robert Miranda, Yale, 4:15.50) 7. Owen Bishop, 4:26.17; 12. Juan Lasso, 4:36.37
60-Meter Hurdles (Final): (1. Itamar Fayler, Yale, 8.46) 2. Moe Abusway, 8.46
60H (Prelims): (1. Fayler, 8.43) 3. Abusway, 8.61; 6. Trejos, 10.06
4x400-Meter Relay: (1. (A) Macauley, Woods, Grindle, Sei, Yale, 3:17.75) 4. (A) Balthazar, Holmes, Hernandez, Trejos, 3:27.37
4x800-Meter Relay: 1. (A) McKenzie, Breene, Bishop, Storey, 7:48.35
 
Men's Field Events:
High Jump: (1. Spencer O'Neill, Yale, 6-7.00/2.01m) 2. Nate Gramentine, 6-3.25/1.91m; 3. Luke Ciarelli, 6-3.25/1.91m
Pole Vault: 1. Seireeni Tiber, 14-11.00/4.55m; 2. Will O'Brien, 14-11.00/4.55m; 4. Ben Poth, 14-5.25/4.40m
Long Jump: (1. Nils Wildberg, Dartmouth, 23-0.50/7.02m) 4. Daniel Igbokwe, 21-5.25/6.53m
Triple Jump: 1. Igbokwe, 45-2.25/13.77m
Shot Put: (1. Ethan Ruh, Dartmouth, 51-11.25/15.83m) 3. Noah Johnson, 48-4.00/14.73m; 6. Hunter Hasley, 40-2.75/12.26m
Weight Throw: 1. Jack Pihlkar, 61-10.25/18.85m; 4. Johnson, 53-8.50/16.73m; 6. Hasley, 52-8.75/16.07m
 
Women's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash (Final): (1. Lillian Enes, Yale, 7.76) 2. Tessa Green, 7.84; 6. Lauren Micham, 7.96
60m (Prelims): (1. Enes, 7.77) 2. Green, 7.89; 8. Micham, 8.00; 10. Rachel Marsh, 8.06; 11. Iman Sule, 8.09; 14. Maryam Hassan, 8.51  
200-Meter Dash: (1. Libby McMahon, Yale, 25.38) 3. Sule, 25.71; 4. Green, 25.98; 5. Marsh, 26.34; 9. Anna Jordahl-Henry, 26.67
400-Meter Dash: 1. Alexis Knight, 57.79; 6. Peyton Jones, 1:03.74
500-Meter Dash: 1. Terri Turner, 1:15.19
800-Meter Run: (1. Isabelle Giordano, Dartmouth, 2:18.12); 6. Clio Dakolias, 2:26.65; 8. Cassidy Williams, 2:28.64
1,000-Meter Run: (1. Kayley DeLay, Yale, 2:54.90) 2. Bianca Alonzo, 2:55.40; 8. Alex Rodman, 3:03.17
One-Mile Run: (1. Claire Dougherty, Dartmouth, 4:56.22) 6. Emily Digman, 5:09.99; 7. Kavulich Linnaea, 5:10.82; 8. Rachel Kenny, 5:11.19; 11. Emily Rooney, 5:23.52 
3,000-Meter Run: (1. Jane Miller, Yale, 9:46.24) 7. Angela Saidman, 10:20.76
60-Meter Hurdles (Final): (1. Cha'Mia Rothwell, Dartmouth, 8.45) 2. Micham, 8.69; 3. Carlita Taylor, 8.94
60H (Prelims): (1. Rothwell, 8.51) 2. Taylor, 8.73; 3. Micham, 8.78; 5. Madelyn Sessler, 9.25
4x400-Meter Relay: 1. (A) Taylor, Sule, Turner, Knight, 3:49.33
4x800-Meter Relay: (1. (A) DeLay, Jensen, Quimby, Friborg, Yale, 9:11.03) 2. (A) Kavulich, Digman, Kenny, Alonzo, 9:17.71
 
Women's Field Events:
High Jump: (1. Zoe Dainton, Dartmouth, 5-6.00/1.68m) 3. A. Jordahl-Henry, 5-5.00/1.65m; 5. Tiffany Bautista, 5-3.00/1.60m; 7. Julia Jordahl-Henry, 5-1.00/1.55m
Long Jump: (1. Rothwell, 19-9.50/6.03m) 2. Bautista, 17-8.25/5.39m; 4. Kali Hatcher, 17-1.50/5.22m; 7. Sessler, 16-7.25/5.06m
Triple Jump: 1. Hassan, 39-8.00/12.09m
Shot Put: (1. Lily Lockhart, Dartmouth, 45-6.25/13.87m) 7. Hailey Montgomery, 35-10.75/10.94m
Weight Throw: (1. Lockhart, 54-5.50/16.60m) 5. Montgomery, 42-8.25/13.01; 6. Gia Monachino, 41-7.75/12.69m; 7. Amanda Cooper, 37-9.50/11.52m
 
GOTHAM CUP (JAN. 17)
Staten Island, New York (Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex)
 
Men's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash: (1. Giano Roberts, Monroe College, 6.82) 5. Dante Miller, 6.96; 27. James Chung, 7.24; 31. Karibi Hart, 7.33
200-Meter Dash: (1. LaLonde Gordon, Zenith Velocity AC, 21.49) 21. Hart, 23.22
400-Meter Dash: (1. Andre Clarke, Chase Athletics/Puma, 47.98) 33. Troy Martig, 52.54; 49. Jemal Vaunado, 53.93
 
Men's Field Events:
Pole Vault: (1. Xavier Feliciano, Kutztown, 14-9.00/4.50m) 7. Logan Rubasch, 13-9.25/4.20m
Long Jump: (1. Glenn Butler, SUNY Delhi, 24-0.75/7.33m) 15. Alpha Barry, 20-1.00/6.35m
Triple Jump: (1. Krishna White, LIU, 49-0.25/14.94m) Alpha, DNF (FOUL)
Shot Put: (1. Ralph Casper, West Chester, 56-7.50/17.26m) 32. Matt Lange, 36-3.00/11.05m
 
Women's Field Events:
Long Jump: (1. Caroline Lewis, West Chester, 18-9.00/5.71m) 26. Casidy Cunningham, 14-10.50/4.53m
Triple Jump: (1. Lyric Green, Georgian Court, 39-5.75/12.03m) 23. Cunningham, 31-9.25/9.68m
Shot Put: (1. Taylor Parker, LIU, 49-2.50/15.00m) 18. Cameron Downey, 34-11.75/10.66m
Weight Throw: (1. Nina Bjorkman, Manhattan, 55-7.00/16.94m) 21. Kayla-Rae Gordon, 40-11.75/12.49m; 28. Downey, 38-2.75/11.65m

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